Pokemon Learning League Conquering Fear
by Storalwhit
Summary: In here, after enduring a harsh snowstorm, Ash, Iris and Clemont arrive in Snowpoint City. After resting up, they go over to the Trainers' School and meet up with Candice. She shows them some of he new Pokemon and they're excited about it, except Iris, who get really nervous when she sees a Cubchoo, so the others decide to help her out.


Pokemon Learning League

Conquering Fear

Written By

Timothy Whitfield

_(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew and Clemont trekking through a snowy terrain with harsh winds and snow blowing hard everywhere. The gang are wearing winter clothing. Ash casually speaks to the audience.)_

Ash _(shivering)_: H-h-hey guys.

Pikachu _(shivering)_: Pika.

Iris _(shivering)_: H-h-hi.

Axew _(shivering)_: Axew

Clemont _(shivering)_: H-h-hello.

Ash _(worried)_: Hey, Iris, are you and Axew going to be okay?

Iris _(reassuring)_: Don't worry, we'll be fine.

Axew: Axew.

Ash: All right.

_(They continue trekking through. A half hour later, the snow and wind starts to get really intense and they stop.)_

Ash: Oh, this is getting really bad.

Pikachu: Pika.

Iris: Yeah, it is.

Clemont: Don't worry, guys. I've got just the thing.

_(He goes into his backpack and pulls out a few pair of special goggles. He hands them each one pair.)_

Both _(confused)_: Huh?

Iris: How are these going to help?

Clemont: I made these goggles specifically to help see through heavy rain or snow.

_(He puts them on. Now, we see from his P.O.V and the snowfall has lessened and almost looks clear. Ash and Iris put theirs on.)_

Both (_impressed)_: Wow.

Iris: This is amazing.

Clemont: Thanks, guys.

Ash: Come on, let's keep going.

Pikachu: Pika.

_(They continue on through the snow. An hour later, the wind and snow die down and it clears up. They come up a snow-covered hill.)_

Ash: There it is, guys.

_(They take off the goggles and see Snowpoint City. The rooftops of the buildings are covered in snow and are gleaming in the Sun.)_

Clemont: I have to say, it looks beautiful.

_(They head down into the city. Later, they come to the Pokemon Center.)_

Nurse Joy: Welcome to the Pokemon Center.

Iris: Hey, Nurse Joy. Can you heal up our Pokemon?

Nurse Joy: Of course. I'll take care of it.

_(They go over to the waiting area and sit down in the seats.)_

Clemont: Yeah. So, where do you want to go from here?

Ash: Hmm.

_(He thinks for a minute.)_

Ash: Let's head to the Trainers' School.

Iris: Okay. Who's the teacher there?

Ash: Oh, you'll see.

_(They continue chatting. A few minutes later, they hear the chime and go up to the front desk.)_

Nurse Joy: I'm happy to say your Pokemon are doing much better.

Pikachu _(happily)_: Pika-chu

Axew _(happily)_: Axew, Axew.

_(Axew hops into Iris's hair and Pikachu hops onto Ash's shoulder.)_

Ash: Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy.

Pikachu: Pika, Pika.

_(They leave the Pokemon center, head down the streets and come to the Trainers' School.)_

Iris: Is this it?

Ash: Yep.

_(They head inside and find Candice teaching her class.)_

Ash: Hey, Candice.

Candice: Hey, Ash. It's been a while.

Ash: It sure has. This is Clemont and Iris.

Both: Hello.

Axew: Axew.

Candice: It's a pleasure to meet you both.

Clemont: So, Candice, what sort of Pokemon do you specialize in?

Candice: I use ice types.

Clemont: That's interesting.

Candice: I also have a few others outside. In fact, I have some new one that I got not too long ago.

Ash: That's awesome. Can we see them?

Candice: Sure, but it'll have to wait until I'm finished with my class.

All: All right.

_(They go sit over in the back and she continues teaches the class. A few minutes later, they go outside where they find the new Pokemon there. They see a Cubchoo, a Larvitar, a Togepi and a Glaceon.)_

_(They all go over to them, except Iris, who stays in place. Ash goes over to the Larvitar and starts playing with it.)_

Ash: This is pretty cool. What do you think, Iris? Iris?

_(He looks over and sees Iris is still standing in place. She has her arms folded, eyebrows raised and pulled together, trembles, her eyes wide open and looking away, fidgeting and her lower lip quivering.)_

Clemont: What's wrong with her?

Ash: Oh, right. Iris really doesn't like Ice-types.

Clemont: Oh. How come?

Ash: All she said was that it's because Dragon types are weak against them.

Clemont _(understanding)_: I see.

_(Candice comes over to them.)_

Candice: So, I see the Pokemon are really enjoying your company.

Clemont: Yes, they are.

Candice: Okay. Well, what does Iris think?

Clemont: Well, she didn't come over here.

Candice: Oh. What's wrong with her?

Ash: She has a strong fear of ice types.

Candice: I see. Well, let's see if we can help her out.

_(She and the others goes over to Iris.)_

Candice _(gently)_: Hey, Iris. You feeling okay?

_(She stops trembling, takes a deep breath and calms down.)_

Iris: Well, no.

Candice: Ash said that you're afraid of ice types. Is that true?

Iris: Yes, it is.

Candice: Well, why don't you tell us what caused your fear?

Iris _(hesitantly)_: I'm not sure about it.

Candice: It's all right. You're going to be fine.

Ash _(honestly)_: Yeah.

Iris: Well, all right. It started back when I went up to the mountains with my Opelucid class.

_(Flashback to a few years ago, where Iris and her classmates go up to the mountains, wearing their winter clothing. The sunlight gleams off the snowy surface. She goes around the area with a boy named Randy and a girl named Jenny. Randy has brunette hair, brown eyes, a wholly jacket, blue jeans and snow boots. Jenny has blue hair in a ponytail, green eyes, and a blue winter jacket and snow boots.)_

Young Iris: Wow! This is amazing.

Jenny: You said it, Iris.

Young Iris: What sort of Pokemon do you think live here?

Randy: I don't know, but we'll just have to see.

_(They split up &amp; explore around the area.)_

Iris (V.O): So, my friends and I looked around for any Pokemon. We didn't have any luck for a while, until I heard something.

_(Young Iris hears a small cry nearby.) _

Young Iris: What the?

_(She goes over to the source and finds a Cubchoo trembling.)_

Young Iris _(gently)_: Hello, there. Are you lost?

_(She gently strokes it on the head.)_

Cubchoo: Cubchoo.

Young Iris: You're really a cute one, aren't you?

Clemont (V.O): So, what happened?

Iris (V.O): Well, afterwards I watched over it for a few minutes. I gave it some berries, until…

_(As Young Iris is feeding it, suddenly a big, looming shadow comes over them. She turns around and sees… a Beartic, who is the Cubchoo's parent.)_

Beartic: _(roars fiercely and terrifyingly.)_

Young Iris: _(Screams in fear and terror.)_ AHHH!

_(She runs away, but the Beartic gives chase. It starts swiping its claws at her, but she narrowly evades them.)_

Iris (V.O): I tried to get away from it, but it was too fast.

_(Beartic fires a light blue beams from its mouth at Young Iris, freezing her in a block of ice.)_

Ash (V.O): Ooh, that must've been bad.

Iris (V.O): It was.

_(Randy and Jenny meet up back on the path.)_

Jenny: Hey, Randy. Did you find any?

Randy: No, how about you?

_(She shakes her head.)_

Randy: Okay. You think Iris had any luck?

Jenny: She probably did.

_(They go on down the path for a few minutes until they find Iris trapped in ice. Jason gasps in shock.)_

Randy: Oh, no. Iris!

_(They run over to her.)_

Jenny: Quick, go get help!

Randy: All right!

_(He runs off.)_

Jenny: Don't worry, Iris. You'll be all right.

Iris (V.O): So, they did get help and got me out of that ice.

_(Meditite's hand glows white and karate-chops the ice and freeing Iris. Jenny comes and picks her up and puts her arm over her shoulder.)_

Jenny: Iris, are you all right?

Young Iris _(shivering)_: Yes, I'm fine. Thanks.

Jenny: How did you end up like that?

Young Iris: A Beartic chased and then froze me.

Randy _(sympathetically)_: Oh, I'm so sorry.

Jenny: Come on, let's get you out of here.

_(They carry her off down the mountain. Dissolve back to present day.)_

Iris: They got me back to the village, where they treated me until I got better. Ever since then, I've feared Ice types.

Clemont: Oh, I'm sorry that happened to you. Did you try to get over it?

Iris: Yeah. Many people in the village tried to help me with it, but nothing worked.

Clemont: Don't worry, Iris. Maybe Quinn can help you with this. _(He pulls out the Pokepilot and calls Quinn, who is busy remodeling the eating area.) _

Quinn: Hello, guys. How's it going?

Ash: We're doing fine, Quinn. What are you doing there?

Quinn: Oh, I'm fixing up the eating area.

Iris: Well, that's good.

Quinn: Yeah.

_(She spots Candice nearby.)_

Quinn: Oh, hello. I'm Quinn.

Candice: Nice to meet you. I'm Candice.

Quinn: Thanks. So, what are you guys up to?

Clemont: We're visiting the Snowpoint Pokemon Trainers' School.

Quinn: That sounds good.

Ash: It is. Candice is showing us some of her new Pokemon, but Iris got really nervous when she saw the Cubchoo. We're trying to help her get over her fears, so do you know how she can do that?

Quinn: Sure. If you want to conquer you fear, there are many things you can do.

Iris: Like what?

Quinn: You can try gradual desensitization. What you do is you expose yourself to what you fear in small doses until you develop a better understanding of it and it begins to dissipate. Let's say you're afraid of heights. You can start by climbing up a hill, then climb up a higher one.

Ash: What else?

Quinn: Yes, as you gain momentum, whatever you do, don't let it subside. Keep persevering it even when you reach points where it seems to be impossible to get past it.

Clemont: All right, anything else?

Quinn: One other way is to confront it directly. It may be the simplest way, but it can be the best way sometimes. Coming face to face with what you fear will allow you to see that what you've you been afraid of is not really what you think it is. If you confront, say, a ghost-type Pokemon, you can see that they aren't as scary as they seem.

Iris: Doing any of those can really help?

Quinn: Yes, they can. Oh, I should mention that another way is that you can change the way you think about it, like seeing your fear as an opportunity.

Ash: What?

Quinn: Yes, it sound strange, but what it means is that you can use it to identify problems and solve them. Like, if you're afraid of the water, think about the many possibilities that can come when you do overcome it.

Clemont: Oh, I see.

Quinn: So, how about I show you guys something?

Clemont: All right.

_(Pan down to a lower panel.)_

Quinn: All right, you guys ready?

Ash: You bet.

Pikachu: Pika-chu.

Quinn: Okay, then. This girl comes across a Skunky, and she can't stand them. What do you think she should do?

Clemont: She should confront it.

Quinn: All right, Clemont. Here, this boy is coming to face off against some psychic Pokemon, which he doesn't like. What do you think he should do?

Ash: He shouldn't stop persevering and go for it.

Quinn: Okay, Ash. Finally, this girl is really afraid of fire types. What do you think he she should do?

Iris: She should try using gradual desensitization.

Quinn: Okay, Iris. You guys did great.

Iris: Thank you, Quinn.

Axew: Axew.

Quinn: No problem, Iris. Now, I need to back to this. See you guys later.

Ash: See you, Quinn.

Pikachu: Pika, Pika.

_(Clemont puts the Pokepilot away.)_

Ash: All right, Iris, you ready to face up to your fears?

Iris: Uh, I'm not so sure right now.

Clemont: Well, okay. Let's see if the audience wants to do it.

Ash: Okay. _(He turns over to the viewers.)_ Hey, you guys up for it? _(He casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one second.)_ All right, then.

_(Dissolve to images of Iris in various scenarios.)_

Clemont: Let's get to it. Here, Iris isn't sure if she want to go to the Snorunt. What do you think she should do here? _(He casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one and a half seconds.)_ She should use gradual desensitization. Very well, then.

Iris: Here, I come face to face with a Glalie. What do you think I should do here? _(She casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one and a half seconds.)_ I should confront it. All right.

Ash: Now, Iris is going to the mountains to train her Pokemon against the Ice types that live there. What do you think she should do? _(He casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one and a half seconds.)_ She shouldn't stop persevering it. Okay, then.

_(Cross fade back to the gang and Clemont speaks.)_

Clemont _(casually)_: Very good, you guys.

_(Candice turns over to Iris.)_

Candice: Okay, Iris, you ready to give it a shot?

Iris _(reluctantly)_: Well, I guess so.

Ash _(meaningfully &amp; reassuring)_: Hey, think about this: if you do it, it'll put you one step closer to becoming a Dragon Master.

_(She thinks about it for a second.)_

Iris: You're right, Ash. Okay, I'll do it.

_(She goes over to the Cubchoo, kneels down to its level and slowly extends her hand out to its face. She hesitantly pulls it away, with the sound of her younger self from her memory, screaming in terror in her head, but she shakes her head, extends her hand out again and gently strokes its face.)_

Cubchoo _(happily)_: Cubchoo.

Iris: _(sights in relief.)_ Hi, there. I'm Iris, and this is Axew.

Axew: Axew.

Clemont: You did really well there, Iris. Now, you want to see the others?

Iris: Sure.

_(A montage showing them going to the other Pokemon, playing with them and having a great time with them. Dissolve to them back in the school.)_

Ash: Man that was a lot of fun.

Pikachu: Pika, Pika.

Iris: Yeah, it was.

Axew: Axew.

Ash: Candice, thanks for showing us those Pokemon.

Candice: You're welcome. Well, I going to get some food. See you guys later.

All: See you.

_(She steps out of the room.)_

Iris: Hey, guys, I should thank you for helping me out. I appreciate it.

Clemont: Hey, it was no problem, Iris.

_(They all turn to the audience.)_

All: Thanks, guys.

Pikachu: Pikachu.

Axew: Axew.

_(Cut to them outside of the school.)_

Iris: That was a pretty good episode. Did you enjoy it? _ (She casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one second.)_ Oh, okay. We'll see you later.

Axew: Axew

_(They all wave goodbye to the viewers, leave the school and it fades to black, ending the episode.)_


End file.
